


Silver Tiger

by shadelostwolf



Category: Original Work
Genre: Abuse, Anal Sex, Bisexuality, Body Modification, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Height Differences, Humans with animal traits, Language, M/M, On Hiatus, Post-Slavery, Transformation, Violence, Working on rewriting, sorry!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-11
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2017-12-23 03:57:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/921716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadelostwolf/pseuds/shadelostwolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being taken and forced to perform by greedy people his chains were finally bought and broken. The freedom he craved to get back, is it really true? All he wanted was to touch the sky and feel the sun again. To remember her face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Silver Tiger

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if I need to add tags. This story will pick up after the first few chapters. Tags will be added as the story goes on. I'll be posting the second chapter in a few minutes, cause it's already done. Unbetaed for now I'll circle back to look over these later when I'm not busy.

His scarlet red eyes narrowed at the sight of the large mansion. He sat inside of a large cage on the back of a transport truck. A large tarp was fastened over the barred cage. He slipped over to look out of the one corner not secured properly during the ride over. He was from the Scarred Lands. That's what his mother told him before he was ripped from her to fight for them. Greedy little bitches and bastards, the ones who had too much money they've no clue what to do with it.

A sun tanned hand, darkened from the years he lived in the Scarred Lands and mostly natural, wrapped around the bar only to cry out when he was shocked. He moved away cradling his injured hand. The palm of his hand was raw from the heat of the jolt, his whole hand and arm had gone numb. He tried to rub feeling back into his arm.

The sounds of the transport coming to a full stop caused him to still. He listened to the sounds of mechanical grinding and he flattened himself to the cold floor as the large cage jerked and swayed. Shouts for people to be careful were heard as he watched himself being set down somewhere in the back of the property. The large tarp was ripped off and he winced shielding his eyes from the sun. He slowly stood up to find himself looking out at the open lands. The trees weren't lacking at all, with plenty in the forest that stretched out around the place and dotting along the open grounds. Then there was the house. It was a pretty large three floored mansion. Maybe it had equal amount in bathrooms and bedrooms.

His eyes darted around and he turned to find the only way out led to some secret walled place. He let out a growl as he stayed where he was at by plopping onto the metal ground; he crossed his legs and folded his bare arms. Black stripes stood out on his shoulders, elbows and wrists. His eyes closed, his mind made up on not budging an inch.

The silver and black ears on the side of his head twitched at the sound of feet running over. "Holy shit, is he really a Silver Tiger? Where are his wings?" His matching silver and black tail twitched in annoyance.

"Hey, kid, don't get too close!" His eyes opened slightly to see a young male looking back at him through his silver hair as it hung in his eyes.

The young male ignored the handlers as he leaned in close to peer at the Silver Tiger. "Hey! I'm Zid." He was grinning now. His head cocked to the side watching him.

"Master Zid, please back away from the cage. Your father told me to keep you away from the cage until the handlers are done." A woman stood off to the side a few paces away.

So he was going to be some rich bastard’s pet now. Olive toned hands curled around the bars that separated him from the outside, not surprised when nothing happened to the kid. "Master Zid, please!"

He moved quickly, causing shouts from everyone as he snagged the young male by his front shirt. A low growl sounded as he pulled the kid closer. His growl died in his throat when he got a clear look at his face. Golden eyes looked back at him, not in fear, but curiously. His ears were pointed and three rings reflected in the sunlight. Dark blue almost black hair was cut so short it looked like he just rolled out of bed. Something twitched behind the young male that caught his eye, it was a tail that matched the hair color on his head, and he could also make out faded stripes on that tail. "Your eyes, I've never seen them that shade of color." He found it odd. Odd that this person wasn’t scared of him.

Pain ripped through him causing him to scream as he lost his grip and found himself in a crumpled heap as far away from the bars as he could get. One of the handlers was holding an electric prod attached to a six foot pole. The young male snapped at the man, "What the hell's your problem man!? He wasn't doing anything! For all you know that could be his way of testing a person!"

The man holding the pole looked at the pissed teen and shook his head, "He's attacked one of my men that way." He turned back to the cage with the pole held up. "Besides, he's to be treated as a threat because of where he was found at. Now get the hell out of here and let me do my job!"

"Master Zid, please let them do their work. Let's just go back inside." He looked back at the woman then shook his head. Zid wasn't going to move.

His body twitched and jerked as pain licked all over his body. Slowly he went to put his hand down only to hiss as it was his injured arm and it gave out. He couldn't move. One of those electric prods came at him and he growled at it. He hissed at the man before crouching and lunging at him. His shoulder hit the bars and pain lanced through his body. The heat left a burn along his upper arm and the back of the sleeveless shirt he was wearing. His body dropped to the ground on all fours only to slump over as his body went numb. It didn't stop him though as he slowly climbed back onto his feet.

"We need the collar on!" His red eyes darted around. He growled as he backed up. As he was backing up he caught sight of one of the handlers pulling out a small item. He stared at the person before giving a grin that was all teeth.

"Collar?" Red eyes looked at the young male before sliding his feet apart. To Zid that grin said 'watch me'.

"He's moving."

"Get away from the cage!"

The handler holding the small item shouted back, "I need to be closer to activate it!"

He appeared in front of the handler causing him to panic and hit a button. His body thumped to the ground, unmoving, but still breathing. The shout from the young male caused his ears to flick up. "What the hell?"

The handler spoke up. “He’s fine, it’s harmless. All I did is make his muscles relax all the way. He can't move right now. Once I have it on you can use voice commands, but only some voice commands work."

"I don't like it."

"It’s not that bad." He pushed another button. "Okay, we should be able to move him now."

A door on the side of the cage far from the walled area opened. As two handlers neared him a growl started to grow louder. The two handlers grabbed his arms and lifted him up. His head hung limp to watch the ground. "He should be falling under in a few seconds."

Right after the handler said that, he could see the edge of his vision blacken. Then it slowly grew blurry before he could slip under he whispered something that has Zid straighten his back curiously. "Non? Non, what?"

 

It was quiet. His eyes opened slowly to make out a boxed in sky. The clouds were lazily moving by above him. "Pulchrum..."

"What does that mean?"

He twisted till his was crouched on all fours. With a loud hissing growl, he slowly backed away. Zid tipped his head to the side. "Well your arm seems to be okay with the way you’re putting pressure on it."

Red eyes blinked before looking down at himself to find white bandages wrapped around his right hand, they were also wrapped up along his left arm and his whole torso. "Don't want you to get an infection. They are a bitch to deal with." His head jerked up when Zid stood up. The young male watched as the silver tiger tensed up when he shrugged his shoulders, "Well, I'll let you be." He watched as he walked off down a path. Slowly standing, he quietly followed till he saw Zid walk through a door. When it closed his eyes locked onto the handle that was on the same side as him. He stared at it wondering if this family was sane or not. They left a handle on the side of a door, which he, a known killer, could use to open it.

Walking up to it with a strong sense of caution, a few thoughts kept nagging him. Was it locked? Could this be a test? Could he just reach out and twist the knob and it swing open?

With a hard swallow, he glanced around making sure no one was going to jump out and shock him, before he slowly reached out. His middle finger touched the knob and he stood tensed. When nothing happened he slowly curled his fingers around the knob. Now he was getting excited, his freedom was on the other side of this door. With a deep breath he twisted his hand.

The door popped open quietly out of its door frame.

His heart was in his throat now, he was getting scared and excited.

Then he pushed on the door. It swung open to show a large kitchen and something that teased his sense of smell with a mouth watering aroma. As the door finished opening, he froze at the sight.

Zid was sitting facing him, an amused smile on his lips. He took a step back, a growl already forming, when there was a cry of fear. His pupils shrank and he hissed before taking another step back. Zid’s face quickly took on an annoyed look before he muttered "Stop your damn screaming, you’re making him nervous."

The smell of fear curled from the woman as his red eyes flicked to her, the same woman from outside. He growled low at her, only to be cut off by something thumping against his head. Red eyes snapped over to look at the teen. He had a raw bean held in between his fingers. Another low hissing sound drew Zid's attention. The silver tiger was pressed against the corner, curled up in a ball watching them. His eyes darted between the two; the one that reeked of fear and the one that oozed calmness. No one should be that calm over being in the same room as him. He didn't know what to do.

Where was brother when he needed him?

"Relax." The teen grinned as he tossed the bean across the room to land in a pot of boiling water.

"Young Master!" The woman that stunk of fear was slowly inching away from the sliver tiger. "You’re supposed to keep the door locked."

Zid rolled his eyes and then waved his hand in dismissing way. "How about you stop smelling like fear or leave now."

The woman jumped when the kitchen door slammed open. Zid made a sound that was a cross between a yelp and muffled shout, his tail stuck straight up before he ducked down behind the island counter. His eyes met the silver tiger's and he gave a wary grin as he held a finger up in a shushing motion. "Zid! I know you’re in here!"

The silver tiger shrunk even further back into the corner, his eyes wide at the sight of the angry older woman. She was an average height and heavyset woman. She wore pants and a long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up. An apron was tied around her waist. Dark brown eyes landed on the silver tiger and she stopped. Her light brown hair was tied back at her neck. "Oh." And in a split second she went from angry to kind. "You poor thing, you’re so skinny!" The woman who smelled of fear slipped out of the kitchen behind the angry woman.

He pressed himself against the wall as she walked over to him with quick steps. Zid quickly inched around the island as she passed him to get to the silver tiger. "Look at you." The poor tiger didn't know what to do as she got closer. His hair fluffed up as his fight or flight instinctively kicked in. He growled at her, but she stopped a foot from him before resting her hands on her hips. "Hmmm, injured and underfed. That’s not good. Mr. Azul is going to be unhappy."

Zid slowly crawled toward the door on his hand and feet. 'She didn't see me. She didn't see me.' Repeated in his head as he moved.

"Zid, I know you're there!"

He froze before he quickly tried to scramble out of the room.

"Where do you think you're going, catulus?" She caught the back of Zid's shirt and yanked him up off the floor. The silver tiger's ears twitched at the known words.

"Put me down you crazy old cat!"

"Quis es? Aut ubi sum?" The voice that sounded was hoarse from either disuse or yelling a lot. It was raspy and strained but it still held a rough edge to it.

She paused and looked at the silver tiger. "Are you from the Scarred Lands?" Even Zid was watching from where he was being held in place, surprised from the voice that sounded and curious because of what the older woman had asked.

He gave a stiff nod.

"You can understand me then, can you speak the common tongue?"

He licked his lips and gave a slight nod. "Satis."

"Then you need to speak it when in this house." She dropped Zid and motioned to the chairs. "Take a seat. I'll get some food." Her fingers snapped at Zid before she pointed at a chair. "I'm Lenna. Zid here doesn't know the tongue of the Scarred Lands."

Lenna glanced at Zid to see him hunched over in his chair. "So what should I call you, tigris parvus."

He slowly climbed into his seat watching her with extreme caution. His fingers soon started to fiddle with his bandaged palm. "Sylv."

"Well, Sylv, welcome to the family." He watched Lenna turn back to continue cooking. "I'll get some meat on your bones really quick."

 

Sylv stood outside looking up at the sky. Walls too high to jump and what looked to be a barrier at the top flickered in and out of view every time he looked out the corner of his eyes.

His hand dropped to his stomach to rub there. It felt odd having a stomach full of food. Sometimes he would go days on just water and a few bites of bread. Would it be different this time? Shaking his head he quickly banished that thought. They have to be playing with him. Once he fucked up all of this would disappear. A slight twinge between his shoulder blades drew his attention from his full stomach. With a soft sigh, he slowly relaxed. Closing his eyes he focused on releasing his hold on his wings. Two large fur covered appendages unfurled from his back. Silver fur reflected light as night black tips seemed to soak up all the light.

His eyes looked up at the stretch of sky. He wanted to fly. His skin crawled to spread his wings and let the air flow over the fur as he tried to touch the clouds. As he imagined the feel of it, his own wings stretched out to their full wing span. A sharp whistle of amazement had him whipping around. His eyes narrowed in anger as Zid looked at the now folded wings. "Wow." He took a step forward only to pause when Sylv gave a low growl. Stepping back, he raised his hands up. "Alright, I'll stay here." Slowly, Zid lowered himself to the ground and sat with his legs crossed. He stared at Sylv. The sight of those wings had him stunned. He felt a strong urge to touch them, to see if they were as soft as they looked.

Slowly, he looked elsewhere to keep from staring. His tongue flicked out to lick over his lips. How his father managed to come across a silver tiger while out on business was a mystery in its self. As he started to relax some more he found himself enjoying the feel of the sun on his skin. His eyes closed as he let his mind drift off.

As a few minutes passed he had an urge to lift his hand. When he did it brushed over soft skin and rough fabric before something sharp sliced into his hand. With a hiss and a jerk back, he looked down at his hand to find three angry red lines along his palm. Looking over to where Sylv had been sitting, he instead found nothing. Lifting his hand to his face he looked over the cuts. They weren't deep, so no need for stitches.

He gave a pout, "Okay, I get it. No touching." Zid sighed before pushing himself up off the ground. "Well dad will be home for dinner. He’ll want to talk to you." As he walked off he waved his hand over his shoulder. "See you at dinner."

Sylv sat crouched on a branch as Zid walked off with his injured hand hanging along beside him and the other tucked in the pocket of his jeans. When he disappeared around a few trees, ones that blocked the small door from view, he finally relaxed. As he did that, he slowly let his mind ponder over why he did what he did. The image of that kid relaxed in front of him was odd. The only other person to sit fully relaxed in front of him was his brother.

Slowly he had moved closer just to see why. It was shocking to find someone so relaxed around him. He was thinking over it so much that he hadn't realized he reached out till fingers grazed over his arm. He was so surprised that he attacked and ran. Now he was perched in a tree wondering why Zid and Lenna were not scared of him. It confused him. With a huff he gave his head a hard shake. He needed to find something to do. Glancing around the walled garden, he nodded. He’ll need to get to know this closed in area, just to be on the safe side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to see what Sylv looks like? I've got a picture of him on my Deviant art, under the same username. If you liked or want to ask questions review or leave me a comment on tumblr. I answer back.
> 
> I don't know Latin, that is what I found using google translator online. If something is not right with the Latin please tell me. I'd like to know.
> 
> Translations:  
> Non = no  
> Pulchrum = beautiful  
> catulus = puppy  
> Quis es? = Who are you?  
> Aut ubi sum? = Where am I?  
> Satis = Enough  
> tigris parvus = small tiger


	2. Future?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on the third chapter I'll have it up sometime this week...

Laughter filled the air, a woman's and a child's. Small hands reached out to a fuzzy image of a woman.

That image would never clear.

He knew this but didn't care.

Small hands we're caught and then they were flying.

Eyes could see the sun as they were tossed into the air.

Only to fall out of the sky, but that was okay. Because she was there to catch him.

Then he was flying again.

The sky.

The sun.

Flying.

Higher.

Higher!

Those small hands reached out to that sun every time he was tossed into the air. The blue sky stretched out around it. Every time he fell back down dark tanned arms would catch him. He knew they were dark because he was just as dark as her.

A smile on his face and her face. He didn't need to see it to know it was there.

That image though, it never cleared.

Fuzzy.

Blurry.

Colors blended.

Distorted.

But happy because he was flying.

Higher.

Higher!

And she was there to catch him.

Laughing.

Happy.

Safe.

 

Sylv groaned as he slowly came to. The dream quickly faded from his mind. His hand came up to rub at his face. His mind was slowly grasping at the fading dream. He wanted to remember her face. It was like trying to hold water in his hands. Sitting up with a growl, he covered his face. Her face was fading from his mind, every year and every day. The image just slowly became blurred and deteriorated. He couldn't even remember her eye color anymore.

Fingers rubbed at his eyes trying to get the grit out as his mind still tried to remember. He was quickly interrupted when there was a soft cough. Scarlet eyes darted to the side to find a young boy standing there looking up at him. Eyes as dark as night stared up at him. Hair the color of flames was cut short around his ears. The boy smiled at him before murmuring, "Mr. Azul is here he wishes to speak to you before dinner."

Sylv glanced up at the sky to see that the sun was almost set from the colors that painted the sky. Looking back at the boy he found him watching him. With practiced ease, he dropped to the ground in a crouch. Not moving the two stared at each other. He looked over the small pale boy. Pointed fur covered ears stuck out from the side of his head underneath the red hair. Looking further down behind the boy he noticed the thick bushy tail that matched the boy's hair and was tipped with white.

The boy tipped his head to the side in question. After a few minutes more of staring he turned from Sylv and walked away a bit before stopping. Turning slightly, he looked back at Sylv.

The silver tiger stood slowly and followed after the small boy. This Mr. Azul, who was he? Why did he want him? He followed the boy through the kitchen into a large dining room. A long dark brown table stood by itself in the center of the room. Looking up he found a large dome light above the table. His eyes soon fell to the windows. Large bay windows that let in more light then the dome light gave off.

They walked through double dark wood doors that had decorative carvings around the edges. The hall outside the room had paintings hung in well thought out spots. Half the wall was a cream color, the other half the same dark wood and the floors covered by dark blue carpet that had him wiggling his toes slightly. It was when they came into the entrance area that Sylv came to a full stop. Twin curved dark wood stairwells led up to the second floor. The carpet runner was the same dark blue. His head tipped back to see windows even with the second floor. The sun light poured in through a stained glass window. The image was of a large forest with a mountain range in the backdrop. His eyes took in a midnight colored canine its head was turned to watch a sleek raven colored feline. The color looked black but with the way the sun was hitting the image the color had a blue tint. It took a while before he was able to take his eyes off of the image. Once he did, he found the small boy looking at him. He gave a slight nod and the boy turned with a soft, "This way."

They climbed the stairs, his bare feet enjoying the feel of the soft carpet. They walked down another hallway before stopping at a door. The boy went to knock when the door swung open. A scowling Zid was about to crash into the boy when he noticed and quickly sidestepped him. Both their eyes met for a brief second before he continued down the hall. Sylv watched as he disappeared around a corner. His attention was soon brought to the room the small boy walked into.

He crossed into the room and found himself doing a double take. Zid was the spitting image of what Mr. Azul could have looked like in his teens. The only difference would be their hair color. Mr. Azul was just slightly taller than Zid by a few inches. His hair was shoulder length and as dark as night. The man looked up from his papers on his desk at Sylv. A grin appeared on his face as he stood up. "There you are!" He walked around the desk and patted the chair in front of it. "Sit! Sit!" Mr. Azul walked over to a shelf and started pulling books out and flipping through the pages. Sylv, with one eye on the man at all times, slowly lowered himself into the chair.

His eyes soon caught the black fluffy appendage that gave a slight wag. Right before the said man gave a comical shout of glee that had Sylv tensing up. "Found it!" He turned and found Sylv watching him. "Relax." Turning to the boy he smiled, "Cota, go see if your sister and Lenna are done with dinner yet."

"Okay."

The boy looked at Sylv, tugging on Mr. Azul's sleeve the man looked at him. He knelt as the boy stood on his toes to whisper something even Sylv couldn't hear. A look of understanding appeared on his face and he quickly stood straight. The boy, Cota, walked out of the room not casting another glance at Sylv.

The sound of someone sitting across from him had his body tensing again. "Relax. Zid tells me you go by Sylv."

When he gave a terse nod the man gave a smile. Just then he found a manila folder being held out to him. "This is everything they had on you. It’s yours to do what you want with it." Sylv reached out to take the folder from Mr. Azul. The man gave a grin when Sylv took the folder and then he smacked himself in the forehead. "I knew I forgot to do something!" Sylv blinked and found a hand being held out to him. "Zaaron Rayan Azul."

Sylv stared at the hand before looking this person in the eyes. "Mr. Azul, why am I here?"

The demeanor of the man changed in the second the sentence left his mouth. He became calmer. "Right, please call me Zaaron. I'm not that old." He leaned back in the chair looking over Sylv. With a nod he then said, "Sylv you’re free and under my care now."

He closed his red eyes and then looked away. So what now? He got what he wanted right. This odd man just said it, he was free. It's too easy. He looked back at him and then at the folder. Flipping it open he found everything on himself inside. When he was found, what he did, his medical, and so much more. Looking up he found golden eyes watching him. "How?"

Zaaron shifted in the chair a bit before sighing, "An acquaintance of mine I do business with heard about the fights. He thought it might help cheer me up. So he thought to surprise me. When we got there I wasn't happy to see what I found. I myself prefer competitive fighting not brawling till your opponent is dead." Sylv looked away with a grimace. "I was about to leave when I saw you. I was shocked at the sight of a Silver Tiger. Even more it pissed me off, because here is a person breaking the treaty between the Common Lands and the Scarred Lands. That and my sister-in-law is a Silver Tiger."

Scarlet eyes locked onto him after that. "But your son?"

Zaaron chuckled, "No, he is not. His mother was a Night Tiger. That's where Zid gets his hair color. Her sister was born a Silver Tiger. I’m glad her family still comes here to keep in touch even after. Rest her soul." He watched Zaaron stare at the ceiling for a minute before giving his head a shake. "Anyways, I managed to find the guy in charge, talked to him for a bit. He refused to hand you over. Well I managed to solve that problem. I have a few friends in the law and I made a deal with them since they were going to lock up the more dangerous. I bought your freedom and made a deal that you would be ready to live on your own, and prove your not dangerous, in a year’s time."

"One year?"

"Yeah. I'll have Zid's aunt come by to talk with you if you'd like to go back to the Scarred Lands. She won't be able to travel till next month with all the wind storms going on but she said she'll like to meet you."

He looked down at his hands and slowly closed them. He was dreaming. He had to be asleep. That was it. He'll wake up in that cell and have to fight again. Be it a kill or knock out. Sylv focused on his hands again and found them shaking. Slowly and for the first time he felt hope. Maybe he'll finally remember her. Maybe he'll find her too. His head jerked up when he heard Zaaron stand. "Well now that is out of the way." He took a seat behind the desk. "Is there anything you want, since your free, family you want to contact, something you've always wanted to do?"

He quickly stood knocking the file off his lap to fall to the ground. "Mater! I want to find mater! Mea familia!"

Zaaron watched as him. The panicked look on his face had Zaaron worried. "It's going to take time. Also a lot of money."

"Me adiuvare potes?"

"Yes. I do need your help though." Zaaron motioned to the chair. "Sit down and relax, I'm not good with your language, so I need you to calm down and think before you speak."

Once Sylv had taken a seat he continued on. "In return all I ask is for you to keep an eye on Zid."

"You mean babysit him."

Zaaron buried his face in his hands as he sighed extra loud. "What is with that word?! I'm asking you to watch over him, make sure he doesn't get into trouble, make sure he is sa-" He caught sight of the single raised eyebrow on Sylv's face. "Fine! Yes, you can call it that!"

There was a knock on the door and Cota poked his head in. "Dinner."

"We'll be there in a second." Once the door was closed he looked at Sylv. "Think about it, I'll ask again in a week’s time if you want to still do this."

"Will I be able to go in the forest?"

Zaaron chuckled, "Sure, if you want to. After dinner I'll have Zid or Cota show you your room. Whoever is around when it ends?"

He nodded before standing. Zaaron was already walking out the door when Sylv fully stood. Looking at his feet when he heard the sound of paper crackle he found the file on him. Kneeling he picked it up along with all the papers. Once he was done he heard a soft sigh. Looking over he found a boy who looked small but was about his height standing in the doorway. Pale green eyes were looking down at the floor. "Father?" Black hair was cut short showing off his pointed ears.

Sylv ducked a bit to hide behind the chair. Who was this? He looked like he was related to them. His fingers scrapped over the fabric.

Those eyebrows furrowed. His head twisted to the side slightly. "Father? You in here?"

He took a step back, confused by what was happening. Not seeing the sheet of paper. His foot hit it and a crackle filled the room. "Who's there?"

Sylv flinched when those pale eyes landed on where he was hiding. The kid walked fully into the room, his hand reaching out for a chair. It curled over the edge as Sylv pressed himself to the floor. His eyes watching as that head turned as if trying to hear something. Slowly, Sylv backed up on hands and feet. His eyes were locked on the boy the whole time.

He hit the desk with a soft thump and pale eyes landed on him. "There you are!"

Sylv let a low growl out causing the boy to pause. The boy walked forward slowly. "Who are you?"

He knelt in front of Sylv who was now pressed up against the desk. "Hey, I'm not going to do anything. I couldn't if I wanted to." His hand came up and he held it out. "My body is too brittle." The kid made no move to touch him just sat staring, at the space over his shoulder.

He slowly relaxed. His eyes dropped to that hand and he looked back up at the kid. Slowly he lifted his hand. That pale hand looked smaller than his. As if it would break. He curled his fingers hesitating, almost faltering, when he looked at the face. It couldn't be that bad to just take that hand. Right? He was just a kid. With a bite of his lips he finally raised his hand higher to reach out.

His fingers almost there.

A hair's breath.

His darker fingers were so close to touching the younger kid's fingers when a shout had him flinching. "Ollie!"

Sylv went tense when he saw Zid. His hand dropped to the ground on that folder and he was hit with reality. Golden eyes were staring hard at them, but mostly Sylv. Zid looked between the two before jerking his head toward the open door. "Dinner."

Sylv knew that look. He'd seen it on Yotam's face before. He watched as the kid, Ollie, stood. "You’re mad, Zid."

"I'm not mad, Ollie." Even Sylv arched an eyebrow at the tense voice.

"Your voice says otherwise." Ollie had moved over to Zid's side his hand pawing at the air till it found Zid's arm. "I'm fine. Unlike you I don't rush into things. You don't pet a scared cornered wolf without expecting a bite or scratch."

Zid huffed and crossed him arms. "I came to get you."

"Okay." He turned towards Sylv. "I bet you’re hungry too. Lenna makes great food."

Sylv stood slowly. He swallowed before shaking his head. "I... I'm not hungry. Had much to... eat..." His mind turned over the words looking for the right one. Before finally deciding on the ones he knew. "Still full."

Ollie nodded before pulling on Zid's arm. "Okay, I'll tell Lenna and Father. Come on Zid, Father's waiting."

Sylv watched them leave. Once the door closed, he felt his whole body sag. Crouching, he scooped up the folder and stared at it. His life. His eyes closed as he sighed.

A soft humming could be heard. His ears twitched slightly at the sound. The door opened and he found a young woman was standing there, looking at him. She had burnt orange hair and dark blue eyes. She stood taller than him but was still shorter than six feet. His eyes looked out at her from under his hair. She gave him a smile. "Hello. Don't mind me." Her skin was pale but healthy. She had on a pair of form fitting jeans and a button up shirt that showed off her curves.

He watched her walk across the room a stack of papers in her hand. Slowly, as she neared he stood up. When she was standing next to him at the desk she dropped the papers onto the surface. After standing for a few minutes staring off at the wall she quickly looked at him. He jumped, startled. A wide smile had him sweating a bit.

He let his eyes dart to her ears to find them pointed with a tuft of fur on the tip. His eyes were about to drop to look for a tail when he remembered something he had learned from his childhood. A giggle had him flushing as he looked off to the side. "It’s alright. I have a tail."

He looked at her and only flushed a darker red at the knowing smirk. "You’re one of the few to stop. Most use it as an excuse to take a look. You must be Sylv." She lifted her arm and tugged a thick leather band up off her wrist. On the inside of her wrist was a brand. A mark of ownership. "Zaaron found me. He stumbled upon a trade, between some woman and a sleazy dickbag, which had me and Cota in the group. He managed to talk the woman into a better deal and she followed him. Us being towed along. Little she knew it was a trap." The young woman waved her hand, "Anyways, I'm Ophelia Lanters. Cota is my adopted brother and you'll see Radd, my last living family, running around outside. He's in charge of the grounds."

He watched as Ophelia tugged the leather band down to cover the mark. She looked him up and down. Her eyes lingered more on the bandages that could be seen under his sleeveless shirt than the clothes he was wearing. "You need clean clothes. You’re about Ollie's height. Around five one?"

Sylv eyed her a few seconds. "Five even."

"So small. Really they think feeding less is good when really it just screws with the body." He felt his eyebrow twitch and as he fought not to get annoyed. Ophelia covered her mouth and tried to smother her laughter. "I'm sorry, I hit a sore spot." She took a step back to look at him. "I'm trying to get a feel on your size but..." Ophelia held her hands up and wiggled her fingers. "Do you mind?" When his back went rigged, she floundered. "No, no, I just want to find out your size...” She trailed off and then smiled. "You know what; I'll just take you with me when I go shopping for clothes for Cota." Then she saw the file in his hand. "How about I take you to your room?"

After watching her for a bit, he then nodded. He could feel the pain from earlier that day press back down on his body. It was a long day. He just wanted to rest. "Please."

"Okay. Just follow me."

As they left the office room, she waved down the hall to his right. "The rest is the South Wing. It’s where Zaaron, Zid, and Ollie sleep." They walked away from the South Wing back out to where the twin stairwells stood. Ophelia motioned to the stained glass window. "The house front faces west and over here." She walked over to where there were large drapes. Pulling on one of the heavy looking drapes so he could see a large balcony outside, she continued. "You get a lovely view of the sunrise and the forest." When she let go of the drapes they fall back into place. "Your room is in the North Wing, it's where the guest rooms are all at." They continued to walk on towards the North Wing. "If you decide to stay, you can stay in that room or choose another." Looking back at him Ophelia smiled. "I hope you choose to stay. It's lovely here. Oh and you’re in luck winter will be here in a few months."

He gave a frown at those words. "Winter?"

"Yep." She had a wide smile on her face. "I love winter it's so much fun. Snow everywhere!"

Sylv shivered and had to bite his tongue to keep from whimpering.

"Though, you are slightly under dressed for winter. Looks like that's something else to work on." The next thing he knew they were standing outside a door. She grabbed the handle and pushed it open. "This will be your room till you deem it otherwise."

He peeked around her and found himself floored at the sight. The room itself was large. A fire was already lit in the fireplace across from the door, making the room warm, with two large windows on either side framing it. He slowly stepped into the room as he took in everything. A large queen sized bed with dark wood stood with its headboard against the wall to his left far from the fireplace. Two matching side tables sat on both sides of the bed. There were two chairs positioned near the fireplace a soft looking rug rolled out between the two, both a dark green with dark wood framing. To his right were two doors both were opened. The one further from the bedroom door was the closet and the closer door, a bathroom about a third the size of the bedroom. He was stunned and for once overwhelmed.

"Overwhelming isn't it?"

He looked at Ophelia. "Yeah."

"It was the same for me." She gave a small smile. "Well, I'll leave you to get some sleep. Night."

He gave a slight nod and then the door was pulled closed after she left. His fingers tightened on the folder for a brief second and then he was moving towards the bed. He might as well sleep, but there was no way he'd sleep well tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So if you have any questions then ask them. If you leave a question I'll answer them here or on my Tumblr page, same name. So check it out for answers.
> 
> Translations:  
> Mater = mother  
> Mea familia = my family  
> Me adiuvare potes? = Can you help me


	3. Collar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a slight panic attack near the end. If I need to add the tag please let me know.

He gasped awake. Still stuck in the nightmare.

His fingers reaching out to something unseen.

Searching.

His eyes darting around the darkness.

His new surroundings not registering in his mind. He could only feel the pain and taste the blood.

He _knew_ it was just a dream.

But he was back. In that dark.

_Drowning_ , in the darkness.

Stuck.

It was a bitter dream.

A soft whimper slipped out before he could keep it in.

Sitting up in the dream haze, he wrapped the blanket around himself the best he could with his wings out. He then wrapped his wings around himself to hide. They couldn't see. If they saw, they could take advantage of this. Use it against him. Yotam's words echoed in the back of his mind.

He never took in the feel of the plush carpet that he fell asleep on after hours of tossing around on the bed. Never did he feel the difference of the thick blanket. All he could think was, 'don’t let them see'. He didn't even notice the way his own body quivered from the force of trying to hold it all in. The sound of the door opening was drowned out by the roar in his ears. Right now, he was in that dark room with gray walls and a small pool of stagnant water. Feeling the thick band around his neck over the thin collar, the click of the chains.

"Tigris parvus, it’s all gone."

His head shot up at the voice. Then memories were flooding his mind. Slowly, with a shaky breath, he gave a choked laugh.

"Lenna, is he alright?" Ophelia was close.

"He is. Just night terrors." Lenna was closer. "Come on. I brought some food up for you. You slept in late."

Hands came up to rub over his face, chasing away the gritty feel. ‘ _Numquam marcescit in memoriam…_ ’

His wings moved back as light flooded the room. Sylv shielded his eyes from the bright light before looking around. Lenna was knelt on the floor next to him. A tray set next to her. "Afterwords..." He glanced at Ophelia when she spoke up. "Zaaron wants to remove that collar around your neck." Sylv's hand went to his neck where he felt the slim silver band. He forgot about it, being used to it. What would it be like without it? Even under the thicker collar it would still be there. Ophelia grabbed the blanket from around him and gave him a pat on the head. He flinched away from the pat on his head and tensed. "Relax. We'll get you used to physical contact." She placed the blanket on the bed and straightened it out. He watched her turn to look at him then back at the bed.

"I... wings cramped..."

She smiled then walked over to look at them. "They're bigger then you."

He bristled slightly before letting out a slow breath. Lenna gave a chuckle as she started to uncover the food. "Looks like our friend gets prickly when his height is mentioned."

He quickly looked at her, his eyes wide in surprise. "Amica...?"

"Yes, friend." She held a fork and plate out to him. "Eat. You need to keep your wits about you if you’re going to watch over Zid. Boy can slip out anywhere if given a chance."

His eyes glanced between the two women before he took the fork and plate slowly. The two women smiled, both moved off to do stuff around the room as he ate. The sound of water running caused one of his ears to flick toward the sound. While with his eyes, he watched the older woman open a window letting in a small breeze. His head turned to look at the bathroom as Ophelia came out. She looked at him then smiled. "I'm going to get you some of Ollie's clothes."

Sylv gave a nod as he turned back to his food. “Gratias.”

She smiled and left the room. Lenna walked past him toward the bathroom, the sounds of running water stopped and she walked back out to find him slowly mopping up egg yolk with his toast. “Almost done, tigris parvus?”

Sylv looked down at the plate as he chewed the last of the toast. She must have seen the shock for she had laughed a warm laugh that had him ducking his head. Her hand reached out for the empty plate and he passed it to her. “Relax, tigris parvus. It’s a good thing. That bath is filled with water. Unless you wish to take a shower there is a stall.” Lenna stopped at the door. “Zid is out with some friends, so you don’t have to worry about him. Word of warning, he’s in a bad mood over this whole deal between you and his father. So if he seems a little bit huffier, well just give him a swift kick to the butt. It works for me.”

He gave a nod and waited for the door to close. As soon as the door clicked closed, he climbed to his feet to make his way over to the bathroom. Inside the bathroom, his breath caught. He ran his hands over the marble counter and stared at the large mirror. Sylv made a face than stuck his tongue out at his reflection. He took a second to look at the glass shower stall and cringed. He really didn’t want to go into a glass box that closed, willingly or not. His scarlet red eyes landed on the large tub. Walking over, he dipped his hand into the water and couldn’t help the grin that took over his face. Pulling away, he quickly yanked the shirt up over his head. He was seconds from dropping his shorts when there was a knock on the door frame. Sylv turned around quickly to find Ophelia with clothes in her hands. “Hi.”

He looked around the room trying to avoid looking at her. Ophelia laughed and walked into the room. “You might want to remove those bandages.” She sat the clothes down, smiled at him and turned to leave. The door closed behind her and Sylv found himself dropping onto the edge of the bathtub. He gave himself a hard shake before starting on the bandage wrapped around his injuries. Looking at the already half healed burns, he let his fingers curl inward slowly before spreading them out wide. The burn didn’t hurt anymore. Reaching around, he worked on undoing the one wrapped around his arm and torso.

His fingers slowly poked and prodded the half healed burns. When he was satisfied with the way they were healing he stood and dropped his shorts. With a hum he climbed into the tub and let his body sag into the heat. A low purr started up that he could care less about, he was taking a hot bath. His eyes slid half shut as he slid deeper into the water. A soft groan slips out as his head dropped back against the tub. Yeah, he’ll start doing this more often.

 

Sylv walked up to the door of Zaaron’s office. His hands pulled at the long sleeve shirt and he found himself tying the sweats he was wearing tighter. He didn’t think he was that thin. It looks like he was thinner than a healthy child. Reaching out he knocked on the door. “Come in.” He pushed the door open enough for his head to poke in. “Sylv! How are you today?”

“I’m fine.”

“That’s good.” Zaaron flapped his hand at him and motioned to the seat. “Come! Sit! I found a way to remove the collar!” Sylv slowly sat down in the seat as Zaaron moved around the desk. “Stay right here. I’ll go get my friend. She said she knew how to remove the collar.”

Sylv found himself sitting in the office by himself again. He gave a sigh as he rubbed his fingers over damp hair. He was starting to relax in the chair when a sound caused both of his ears to jerk up. It sounded like… “Dad!” The door swung open and Sylv felt his whole body go stiff. Both of them stared at each other. Well, Zid was home. Zid felt his eyes narrow as Sylv looked away. “Where’s my dad?”

“He’ll be back in a second.”

Zid walked over, where he dropped into the other chair. He let his head roll back so he could stare at the ceiling. A few minutes passed and Sylv felt himself relaxing a bit. “I can’t believe I’m getting a _babysitter_.”

The soft whine made his ear twitch and something told him he wasn’t supposed to hear that. So he looked away and off to the side as he muttered, “Dea adjuvet.”

“What did you say?” Sylv looked at Zid to find a curious look on his face.

Looking away, Sylv muttered, “I’m asking the goddess for help.”

“Oh,” Zid slumped further in the chair, “are you religious?”

“No.”

He could feel the Zid’s eyes on him now as he stared at his own hands. His fingers curled and uncurled over the almost faded burn. When the feel of the stare was starting to become too much that he could feel a growl building up, the door opened. Both turned to look back at the door to find Zaaron and a woman walking in. There was a muffled, “Oh great, it’s her.” He glanced at Zid who was now looking at the wall behind his father’s desk with a dark look.

Sylv found himself watching the woman with calculating eyes. She held herself high, back straight, and with a blank face. She had long, straight black hair that stopped part way down her back. Her steel gray eyes met his and he could feel the chill run up his spine from those cold depths. The woman was tall even with the two inch heels. She had on a pencil skirt and dress blouse that accentuated her curves. When she came closer, Sylv took in the pointed ears and as she walked past them a black wolf’s tail could be seen. The woman didn’t look at him again once her back was to him, his metaphorical hackles raised. The large bag she carried was dropped on Zaaron’s desk.

“Zid.” Sylv found his attention being drawn to the father-son duo. “What do you want?”

“Wasn’t important.”

The woman turned around giving Zid a calm look. “Then I would like you to leave.”

Zid sneered at the woman before crossing his arms and slouching further in the chair. “I think I’ll stay.”

“Zid.” The exasperated sigh from his father had Zid hunching his shoulders. From the looks of it, the kid didn’t like when his father got upset with him. “Please, just leave.”

While he was distracted, he hadn’t noticed that the woman had gotten closer, nor did he smell her. Zid noticed and he quickly called out, “Hey don’t just…” He felt the touch on his chin and it wasn’t till his wrist was caught in mid air that he noticed the lack of scent. It kind of made him panic. It was just like them. The scentless people, that...

Quickly he shoved her away with his feet and managed to crawl/fumble/scrabble backwards over the back of the chair, spilling on the floor behind it. Zid was already standing as Zaaron moved to crouch next to him. Sylv tried to breathe as fear washed over him, he wheezed as he struggled to get air. Zaaron made a motion to catch his attention. Scarlet eyes locked on him. “You’re safe. Breathe with me. Listen and breathe with me.”

Zaaron was talking in calm tones, but Sylv could hear the panic under tones and his mind was already being run over with fear. He couldn’t smell her! The pain and darkness. It wanted to push in and strangle him, just like they did when he didn’t _listen_.

“Dad! Should I go get some help!?” Zid was caught off guard when Sylv’s hand latched onto his arm. Zid was calm. He was calm! Why was he calm? Zid was calm!

Zid jumped when Sylv pressed his face into his chest. With every wheeze, he pulled in a burst of calm and slowly he felt himself calm down. The teen was holding himself stiffly as Sylv sucked in air more than releasing it. Slowly he breathing became normal and he shook his head. He hadn’t felt like that in years. He never felt so scared or helpless in a long time. Zaaron cleared his throat before he asked, “Sylv, are you okay?”

“Sane.”

“What?”

Zaaron huffed before answering Zid, “He said yes.”

Sylv jerked away from Zid and slowly stumbled to his feet. “Is he done with the freak out?” He narrowed his eyes before looking at the scentless woman. “I need to finish what I came to do.”

A low growl came from Sylv, who made sure the chair was between him and the woman now. “Touch me and you’ll die.” Zaaron sighed as he dropped his face into his palm as Zid sniggered into his fist.

Zaaron stepped closer and Sylv stepped away. The older man sighed, “Sylv, she’s the only one who’ll remove the collar.”

“From the way he reacted, I think it would be better if it did stay on.”

“Sheila, please.” The woman eyed Zaaron before waving her hand. “Thanks.” He turned to Sylv and motioned to the chair. “She won’t do anything to you. I trust her. Can you trust me on that?”

“She has no _scent_.”

“And here I was under the impression that _‘no scent’_ would be a good thing.” Sylv bared his fangs at her in a hiss. Sheila rolled her eyes, “Derideo te, puer.”*

He tried to lung at her, but Zaaron curled an arm around Sylv’s middle, yanking him back. “Sheila, do not antagonize him!”

“I only called him a boy. He looks like one.”

Zaaron tightened his grip on Sylv as he squirmed more. He winced as claws dug into skin. “You are antagonizing him. I grew up with you, I know how you think!” He gave a growled huff before setting his hand at the base of his neck and skull before pressing his nails slightly against his neck. Sylv went limp and hung curled over Zaaron’s arm.

Zid glanced between them, an amused look on his face. “I say you let him go.”

Zaaron gave his son a very not amused look. “Zid leave.”

“But-”

“Leave, or I’ll scruff you too and drag you out.”

The teen frowned and glared at Sheila, who had an amused look on her face now. “Fine.” He left, the door closing a tad bit too hard behind him.

Zaaron looked at the limp form. “Sedo?”

A soft sound came from Sylv and Zaaron pulled his hand away. Sylv found himself on his feet as he reached up to rub at the back of his neck before rotating his head in a circle. He start off saying something in his native language before clearing his throat and muttering, “Whatever she’s wearing, the handlers wore. I don’t want her touching me until it’s gone. I’ll be in the garden.”

Zaaron and Sheila watched as he slowly walked out of the room. His hand still resting on the back of his neck as he went. Once the door clicked shut, Zaaron sent a glare towards Sheila. “Really!?”

She gave a hum, a small amused smile and turned to her bag. Pulling it open, she looked around inside of it. “I got a good enough look at the collar. It’s one of the ones I told you about that went missing from my company. The remote that you passed to me solidified my theory. You want to remove the collar, you need to short it out,” she held up a small taser, “directly.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tigris parvus = small tiger  
> Numquam marcescit in memoriam… = memory that never fades  
> Amica... = friend  
> Gratias = Thanks  
> Dea adjuvet = Goddess, help me  
> Sane = Of course  
> Derideo te, puer*= I laugh at you, boy = she’s basically calling him a child but is saying boy…  
> Sedo = calm


	4. Author note

Soooooooo... yeah... I just realized that this is still here. I'm sorry! For those who have read this and have stumbled apon this recently. But... I'm fixing up this story, and some things have changed. So this story is on hold until then. I don't know if you guys will read the new plot line but in case you want to I'll update this story with information once I'm done with plotting and start writing the first chapters... the title will be the same but I'm thinking of changing race names and I'm definitely making languages unique to each race... there is a lot going on and I want to flesh everything out and make everything more rounded. Please be patient with me. It'll take some time.


End file.
